Tech, Autos, & Gear in Layman's Terms Since 2006

Now that the Nook has been around for a little while, some really great cases have started coming out to protect it in style. When I saw the new lines of cases coming out from JAVOedge, I was immediately intrigued and couldn’t wait to get my hands on them! Judie’s recent review of the new Croc cases for Kindle 2 only made me more eager to review the Nook cases.

JAVOedge was kind enough to send me two cases from their Cherry Blossom Collection to review and keep for my Nook–the Flip Style Case in Twilight Purple, and the Book Style Case in Cocoa–as well as a surprise…a Flip Style Case in Cork!I have used all three cases on my Nook for a period of time, and I am very pleased with their performance and protection.

The first case I used was the Flip Style case in Twilight Purple. It was the one that caught my eye when JAVOedge announced the new cases; purple is one of my favorite colors, and I really love it combined with the cherry blossom print. The fabric of the case has a nice sturdy weave to it, and it is lightly padded to help protect the Nook. That padding feels pretty nice when you’re holding the Nook to read, too!

It took a bit of finagling to get the Nook into all of the cases because it is a nice, close fit. There is no danger of the Nook flying out unexpectedly, nor is the fit so tight that it impairs use of the Nook.

The cases allow for easy access to all the buttons and screens on the Nook. The frame around the screens fit just right, and I didn’t have any trouble accessing the page turn buttons or the connectors at the bottom.

The inside of the case is lined in a soft, almost suede-like material (in a coordinating color of course) that helps prevent scratches or other damage to the Nook’s shell. It also has an internal slip pocket, which I use to keep my ongoing list of books I’ve read, and a windowed pocket perfect for a business card or small photo. The case stays closed thanks to two small magnets at the edges of the case.

The JAVOedge branding on the cases is unobtrusive and classy–just a small, nicely placed silver logo plate on the front, and a small tag sewn in on the interior. I highly dislike cases that have a company’s logo all over it, so I really appreciate the tasteful way JAVOedge brands their cases.

The real genius of the Flip Style Case is the small kick stand that snaps out from the back. It opens only as far as the attached ribbon will allow, ensuring that your Nook stands up at the perfect angle for reading a book hands-free. I really loved this feature. It enabled me to easily read my Nook while doing things like eating, straightening my hair, or peeling vegetables. The only thing lacking was an auto-scroll or auto-page turn feature on the Nook!

The Book Style case in Cocoa is the one I tried next. The book-like form is more like the case I had received with my Nook, the Barnes & Noble Alice case. However, I like the JAVOedge Book Style case more. The Alice case is bulkier and more rigid, and does not stay closed on its own. The JAVOedge case is a bit more fitted to the Nook, stays closed thanks to the magnets in the cover, and feels less rigid but no less protective.

Like the Flip Style case, the Book Style case is lightly padded and feels very comfortable to hold. It also features an internal slip pocket, windowed pocket, and an elastic pen loop on the inside spine of the case. The Book Style case has a soft spine, which makes it easy to fold the cover back behind the Nook. It took a little bit of softening up to get it to fold just right, unlike the Flip Style cases that have covers made to flip behind the case. Once I read with the cover folded back a few times, it was broken in nicely.

The only thing I can see that I dislike about the Book Style case versus the Flip Style case is that the whole top of the Nook is exposed to possible damage or accidental button presses because of the way it fits into the case. Thankfully, the only button on the top of the Nook is the power button, and even if it does get accidentally pressed, the Nook will automatically go into screen saver mode after a bit anyway, so battery life would not be compromised much.

The last case I tried was the Cork Flip Style case. The Cork case fit, function and interior are virtually the same as the Cherry Blossom case, since they are the same style. The pattern of the case is fun–it looks to me like wine corks standing on end.

It feels a little less cushiony but also a little more rigid than the Cherry Blossom cases due to the firmer nature of the real stamped cork. I love that this case is both stylish and eco-friendly, plus it could be a case for either gender, while the Cherry Blossom cases are more feminine.

All in all, I really loved all the JAVOedge cases. I got tons of compliments on them from coworkers, friends, family and even a few Barnes & Noble employees! They apparently hadn’t seen any of the third-party accessories for the Nook (they barely had any of their own accessories in stock!) and were really impressed by the JAVOedge cases.

The JAVOedge Cherry Blossom and Cork cases are available via Amazon for $29.95 in both Book and Flip styles. The Cherry Blossom cases are available in Ocean Blue, Twilight Purple, Cocoa, and Red.

What I Liked: Stylish, good fit on the Nook, protective, comfortable to use.

What Needs Improvement: Top of Nook is exposed in the Book Style case.

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Jessica Fritsche is a writer, editor and marketing manager hailing from Dallas, TX. Jessica's first computer was an Apple ][ C, and despite a brief flirtation with Windows in her youth, she's a Mac girl through and through. She also loves mobile technology like netbooks, the iPhone, and the iPad, and she's a certified ebook junkie. In addition to blogging about her favorite gadgets on Gear Diary, she is the associate editor for So New Publishing and assistant fiction editor for 42opus.